The BBC this morning confirmed Gary Lineker’s departure from Match of the Day, which was widely reported last night, but chose to focus on the work Lineker would still be doing for the corporation in its official announcement on the matter.
In a chirpy statement headlined “Gary Lineker agrees a contract extension with the BBC” the Beeb noted that it had agreed in principle a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup, where the England legend will lead coverage of the tournament, as England try with yet another manager to land a first major trophy since 1966, the other Home Nations look to qualify and Lionel Messi aims to retain the trophy he won with Argentina.
Lineker will also host BBC Sport’s coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025/26 season, 35 years on from lifting the trophy as a player.
Addressing the elephant in the room, the statement added: “After a quarter of a century, Gary is stepping down from hosting Match of The Day at the end of this season. He will continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the BBC will also host the hugely popular The Rest is Football podcast on BBC Sounds.”
Lineker said: “I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.”
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, says: “Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup.
“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week. He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”
With 33m viewers last season across the Premier League and FA Cup, Match of the Day remains part of the staple diet of football fans who still get a huge buzz from hearing that iconic theme tune on a Saturday night. Future plans for Match of the Day will be announced “in due course,” the BBC said.
